No Elite Units Exist: Minister Refutes Statements by Artak Davtyan and Defense Army

Earlier, we reported that Defense Minister Davit Tonoyan, during a Q&A session in the National Assembly, addressed the question posed by LHK faction member Harutyun Babayan regarding the publication by Auroranews titled “Elite Unit of Artsakh, Sons of High-Ranking Officials, and Cases of 'Suicides': Noteworthy Details.”

The Defense Minister rightly noted that there are no 'elite' units in the Armed Forces of Armenia: "There is no elite unit. The name spread through media and social networks. All soldiers held responsible by the Artsakh Minister of Defense have been punished, while those who bear responsibility or whose accountability will be determined during the investigation are arrested or detained,” stated the Minister.

It is worth recalling that on February 7, during a press briefing, the Chief of Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia, Artak Davtyan, in response to a journalist's question regarding the Auroranews publication, stated: "The unit is certainly elite because it performs elite tasks. It stands out for its firepower and is currently carrying out combat service. Where should we take these soldiers? They are serving in Artsakh, they say they are in Artsakh; if we bring them here, they say they are brought here.”

It should be noted that the Artsakh Defense Army also issued a similar statement, emphasizing that the unit is indeed elite, even though the term 'elite' was placed in quotation marks in Auroranews’ publication.

Additionally, it was reported that the publication titled “Elite Unit of Artsakh, Sons of High-Ranking Officials, and Cases of 'Suicides': Noteworthy Details” by Auroranews has been sent by the Prosecutor General's Office to the investigative body for thorough verification of the information and circumstances presented within the framework of the criminal case initiated.

Notably, the Defense Minister’s statements significantly differ from the previous comments made by Chief of Staff Artak Davtyan and the Ministry of Defense regarding the Auroranews publication.